Motonormativity w/ Prof. Ian Walker & Prof. Marco Te Brömmelstroet

This is a "can't miss" discussion featuring Professor Ian Walker from Swansea University in Wales and Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet from the University of Amsterdam about their recent paper on Motonormativity, also known as "car brain" or "windshield bias."

Among other topics, we discuss Pluralistic Ignorance, which is a social psychology phenomenon where people mistakenly believe that their own private opinions differ from the majority's, leading them to conform to a perceived norm, even if they privately disagree. And this seems to be at the core of the challenge with Motonormativity, when it comes to people wanting a different outcome and way of life.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast on your preferred listening platform. Also, don't forget to check out the Active Towns Channel for more video content.

Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
👉 Article: Why do cars get a free ride? The social-ecological roots of motonormativity
👉 Professor Ian Walker's website
👉 Ian on Bluesky
👉 Ian on LinkedIn
👉 Professor Marco Te Brömmelstroet
👉 Marco on LinkedIn
👉 Marco's book Movement: How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives
👉 Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us by Tom Vanderbilt and in the Active Towns Bookshop
👉 The War on Cars episode with Ian
👉 Disney's Motor Mania
👉 My episode on Autonorama w/ Prof. Peter Norton
👉 My episode on Safer Streets History w/ Prof. Peter Norton
👉 My episode with Laura Laker
👉 My episode with the Late Great Prof. Donald Shoup
👉 Bike is Best The Right Tool Campaign Video
👉 My recent on-bike interview w/ Prof. Meredith Glaser

If you are a fan of the Active Towns Podcast, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Join our Patreon community. Contributions start at just $3 per month
2. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also "leave a tip" through "Buy Me a Coffee"
3. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc., to help support my pro bono work with cities

Credits:
- Video and audio production by John Simmerman
- Music via Epidemic Sound

Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
- Equipment: Contact me for a complete list

For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
- Active Towns Website
- Active Towns on Bluesky
- Weekly Update e-Newsletter

Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

Since 2010,  I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."

The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.

Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2025

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★